EC2 Management Software

EC2 management software is a Software-as-a-Service application that has features designed to help improve the ROI of using an AWS Elastic Compute Cloud service. Most often deployed to reduce the cost of Amazon´s cloud computing service, software for managing AWS EC2 can also assist with account manageability and enhance security.

What Software for Managing AWS EC2 Does

EC2 management software works by scheduling on/off times for cloud computing “non-production” instances such as those used for development, staging and testing. In many organizations, these instances are only used for up to 40 hours each week. For the other 128 hours or more each week the instances are sitting idle – but still being paid for.

Software for managing AWS EC2 automates the manual act of logging into the AWS console to switch off each non-production instance (or “parking” it). This eliminates the risk that instances will be left running – and paid for – due to human forgetfulness. It also eliminates the need for organizations to dedicate resources towards developing their own scheduling scripts.

How EC2 Management Software Does What It Does

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Based on the AWS credentials provided, the software for managing AWS EC2 conducts a discovery of EC2 compute instances and makes recommendations about which may have idle times and are therefore eligible to be parked. This information helps organizations create and apply on/off schedules. Alternatively, organizations can choose to apply an “always off schedule” and “snooze”, or pause, the schedule when work needs to get done.

EC2 management software can also control what access team members have to different instances. This feature allows specific team members to schedule the on/off times for their own instances, and snooze the schedule as necessary, without being able to edit schedules that would affect other users. These controls can be applied over multiple AWS accounts from the EC2 management software UI.

The Financial Benefits of Software for Managing AWS EC2

The financial benefits of EC2 management software can be considerable. For an organization with an equal divide of production and non-production instances, reducing the server time for the non-production instances by 128 hours each week (off weekends and 12 hours/day on weekdays) would equate to savings of 38% overall. For organizations with a higher proportion of non-production instances, the savings would be even higher. From our case studies:

Fusion PPT, an IT consulting and system integration firm with a worldwide client base, has reduced its total AWS spend by 25% – 30%.

Tristar Medical Group, an Australian provider of accessible and affordable medical services, has reduced its total AWS spend by 40% – 60%.

Avid, a provider of audio and video technology for media organizations and independent professionals, has reduced its annual AWS spend by $55,000.

Wolfpack, the developer of an app for motorcycle riders to plan group rides, invite a pack and navigate together, has reduced its AWS spend by 65%.

In addition to the financial benefits of EC2 management software, there are several themes running through our case studies. All of the clients featured above have found the software for managing AWS EC2 flexible and easy to use. Some have commented on the single view and control of all resources, while others appreciated the secure divisions between what accounts can and cannot be accessed.

Other Benefits of EC2 Management Software

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Some of the other benefits of software for managing AWS EC2 have already been mentioned. For example, by not having to dedicate resources toward developing their own scheduling scripts, organizations gain extra development capacity by having employees focus on core software. Furthermore, the ability to manage multiple AWS accounts via the software´s UI helps maintain team visibility and governance using team and role structures.

However, one of the most significant benefits of EC2 management software is security. The logic behind this benefit is straightforward. If selected instances are turned off 76% of the time, they are 76% less likely to be hacked. The instances do not have to be monitored by network security teams during downtime, they do not need to be scanned for viruses, and there is no risk of unauthorized logins.

Try Software for Managing AWS EC2 for Free

If you use Amazon´s Elastic Compute Cloud, you are invited to experience the benefits of EC2 management software for free with our thirty-day free trial offer. In order to take advantage of our thirty-day free trial offer, simply register for an account using your email address and you can be up and running in less than fifteen minutes. No credit card is required and there is no obligation to continue with ParkMyCloud´s service at the end of the trial period.

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Once logged into the EC2 management software, you can start to park your cloud computing services. As soon as you have scheduled off/on times for the selected AWS EC2 instances, you will immediately be able to see your projected savings. As you continue to eliminate compute waste throughout the trial, your projected savings will become actualized.

At the end of the free trial, you have the options of walking away from ParkMyCloud´s software for managing AWS EC2, or continuing to save money on the cost of Amazon´s cloud computing service. If you have any questions about EC2 management software before taking advantage of our thirty-day free trial offer, please do not hesitate to contact us.